


test

by ndnickerson



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Celebrations, Established Relationship, F/M, Safer Sex, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:08:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24054937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: After Nancy takes a very important test, she and Ned celebrate and talk about what happens next.
Relationships: Nancy Drew/Ned Nickerson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	test

Once the test was over, Nancy raised her head, feeling like she'd been punched through a pillow. For a moment or two, her heart was still beating hard. During the last twenty minutes she had been borderline frantic, trying to keep calm while it kept pulsing at the back of her head, insistent.

If she needed to take the LSAT again, she could. But she was all too painfully aware of how much was riding on this attempt, and she really wanted to beat the minimum score she needed to be competitive by as much as possible.

She stepped out of the testing center, blinking into the sunlight.

It was over. It was all over.

She took a deep breath and let it out, then grinned. Whatever else happened, this was over. The months of preparation, classes, practice tests, drills, all of it... God, even this morning she had startled awake and sent a practice test fluttering to the floor.

The test had consumed her for so long. For now, for a moment, she was free.

\--

Ned took one last glance around his bedroom. Howie had ribbed him about vacuuming, an activity his other two roommates considered a couple of times a year, at best, but today was a big day for Nancy. If they came back here, he didn't exactly want her to look at him with tears shining in her eyes, hands clasped, whispering in an awed, trembling voice, "You _vacuumed?_ ", but, well, it wouldn't hurt. Mostly, he...

She was approaching a huge turning point in her life, and this felt like the best opportunity in a long time to discuss their future. If she saw a place for him, he wanted to know, and if she didn't... it would be better to know now.

He swallowed past the thickness in his throat and closed the door.

Neither of them had been enthused at the thought of waiting in line for an hour at any of the more popular Chicago restaurants, and she'd requested that they wait until her scores were in to celebrate with a reservation, champagne, roses, or however the night played out. Today, she was just exhausted.

Ned had ended up calling in _one_ favor, though.

Nancy was standing in front of the hotel when he approached the lobby, looking—nervous, he realized. He didn't see her nervous very often. The hood of her coat was up over her reddish-gold hair to block out the wind, and she was shifting her weight, gently stamping her feet to keep blood flowing. She wore her favorite jeans, the soft fabric clinging to her curves, and a pair of brown boots that had definitely seen better days.

She gave him a half-smile when she saw him. "Did I get the address wrong?"

He shook his head. "No, babe," he said, and wrapped her in a tight hug.

She gave a contented sigh, probably grateful for his warmth. "Then did I misunderstand...?"

"No, not at all. You're perfect."

A couple walked past them, the man in a tux with tails, the woman in a column of jewel-toned shimmering sequins. Nancy cast a glance at them, then back at Ned, raising her eyebrow.

"We're just not going where they are."

Per the favor Ned had called in, they were greeted and escorted to an elevator. The concierge boarded with them, pressing the button for the requested floor, and Nancy reached for Ned's hand. Her fingers were still chilled from the wind.

"And, welcome," the concierge said with a smile, gesturing to the space before them as they stepped off the elevator car.

The rooftop patio was small, one the hotel apparently used for intimate parties. The small circular pool, about twice the size of a hot tub, provided the visual centerpiece of the area. Flickering flameless votives floated on the pool's surface, serene, a warm glow against the cold. Under a covered area, a table had been set up for the two of them, with a heat lamp keeping it comfortable. The pizza Ned had picked up, the sodas, the gooey chocolate chip dessert, had all been delivered there by the staff as requested.

"Enjoy."

Nancy squeezed Ned's hand. "Wow," she commented.

Ned smiled broadly. "No reservations," he reminded her.

"True, but this feels... a step beyond that," she remarked, walking to the short wall and gazing out at the spectacular view of the city. "This is just... well, today has definitely felt like some kind of dream, and this just caps it off. Is that a pizza box over there?"

"Yep. Hungry?"

"Ravenous."

The space around their table was warm enough that after a few minutes, Nancy was actually able to take her coat off and just bask in it. She wore a soft teal sweater underneath.

"Nan... that couple downstairs? She didn't look anywhere as beautiful as you do right now. You look great."

Nancy chuckled as she swallowed her bite of pizza. "Flatterer," she said softly, but her eyes were dancing. "Thank you, though. For all of this. It's exactly what I need. No one barging in, no distractions, just... being able to relax with you."

Their gazes met and locked, and Ned pulled in a breath, wondering if now was the right time. But he didn't want to ruin her good mood, or their meal.

"You look great too, Nickerson."

A warmth spread through his chest, lighting his smile. "It's nothing," he demurred, but they both knew it was something. He could very much remember a time when compliments were his to pay and hers to receive, when gifts generally traveled one way between them. It wasn't that she accepted them as her due; she was just so used to being self-sufficient that his thoughtfulness had become something she had taken for granted.

Things had been better, after that horrible breakup. She'd put a lot more effort into their relationship after. But they had been together for years, and...

And that wasn't enough, not for him.

They finished off the pizza, then tackled the dessert. Nancy sat back after just one piece, groaning, licking a stray streak of chocolate from her finger. "Oh my _God,_ " she groaned. "I don't think I can move."

"That's all right," he assured her.

She smiled. "Are you going to carry me into one of these rooms, then?"

Ned chuckled. "No. I wasn't lying when I said no reservations. I thought we were saving all the big stuff until your scores came back, anyway."

She nodded. "I mean, I'd like to. And I'm not saying I'm expecting anything, really. I think Dad will want to take us to a nice dinner to celebrate, but... seriously. This is both perfect and way more than I imagined."

He smiled. "I'm at your service."

\--

Nancy gazed into Ned's sweet, dark eyes and, not for the first time, wished she could read his thoughts.

Most of the time it was easy to tell what he was thinking or feeling. Sometimes he felt jealous or threatened, but even in those cases, she was generally able to tell, to see it building. After that monstrous breakup, when she had realized just how important Ned was to her and how much she wanted him to be a part of her life, she had worked very hard to move past her old, bad habits and treat him as an equal, a partner, instead of a convenient piece of furniture. It had been a long time since she had flirted with another man. It had been a long time since she had even thought about it.

But tonight... oh, he seemed comfortable, at ease, but there was a tension in him that was provoking a wariness in her.

She was the one who had insisted on a casual, low-stakes date, and everything he had organized was perfect. So why did his granting her wish feel so... anticlimactic?

"Still on for this weekend?"

Nancy nodded, still holding his gaze. "If you are."

"Definitely." He glanced down, and drew a deep breath.

Nancy reached for his hand. "I've been preparing so much for today, that now... it feels like I'm coming down. Deflating, I guess. I'm sorry if I'm not being great company."

Ned shook his head immediately. "No—"

She smiled. "Yeah," she corrected him. "Ned, the next few years of my life are going to be... I don't even know, really. Torture, I guess? That's what Dad calls it. That gap between earning the degree and earning a reputation."

"I don't think anyone's ever said the law was easy."

"Especially not judging by today." She sighed and glanced down at his hand, stroking her thumb back and forth over his skin in a gesture that was doing more to reassure her than anything else, probably. "We're going to have to work hard," she admitted softly.

"By 'we,' do you mean..."

"Us." She met his gaze again. "I mean I don't think we've ever been through anything like this, not in our entire relationship. And that's kind of the point, too. It's _our_ relationship." She tilted her head, and suddenly her mouth was dry, and that small constricted pit in her stomach was painful. Her voice dropped, too. "If you want there to be one."

Ned's eyes widened. "Of course I do," he said, his voice sounding almost strained. "Baby..."

She searched his gaze. "Even knowing?"

"Even knowing. And I'd rather know. I'd rather always know." He moved his hand to clasp hers. "We'll find time to be together, as long as we make it a priority."

They were gazing into each other's eyes, and Nancy felt a rush of panicked adrenaline as she said, at the same time he did, "I think we should move in together."

Ned's mouth opened, then stretched into a broad grin. "You do too?"

Nancy laughed, her heart still pounding. "You—is that why you've been tense?"

He nodded. "Trying to find the right time to say it..."

"But it'd be perfect. I think, anyway. We can just relax together and see each other as often as possible..."

"Exactly."

Nancy laughed again. "I should've known you wouldn't need any convincing, Nickerson."

"My only request is we go looking for a new place before you start law school. Since I didn't think you had three roommates in mind when you were imagining this."

"No. Definitely not." Her eyes were sparkling as she gazed at him. "And, speaking of your place..."

"No reservations necessary," Ned replied with a grin. "You are _always_ welcome in my bed."

\--

The carpet definitely seemed to be the last thing on Nancy's mind as they stumbled together toward his bed. He practically slammed the door shut with his shoulder, and her fingertips against his skin were still chilled as she grappled with his clothes.

Together. God. Waking up to this, to her. To all of it.

He mumbled an apology when he paused just to find a condom, and she took the opportunity to wrestle her boots off and peel her pants down. By the time he returned to her they were both naked, and they gasped at the touch of bare skin, the terrible immediacy of it.

Every morning.

Once he had returned to her, they didn't stop kissing for a very long time, even as she took him in the valley between her thighs and wrapped herself around him. No one was waiting up for them. No one would care if this took all night.

And they would be able to take all night. Sometimes, anyway.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips when he broke the kiss.

"I love you too," she murmured, shivering when his lips found the hollow behind her earlobe.

Giving himself to her was... unlike anything else, really. Nothing in his life compared to gazing into her eyes as they moved together, seeing her shiver with delight at being joined to him, and then teasing the tension so unbearably high that when she broke, her surrender was complete. And that was something else to look forward to, too—when she would no longer have to muffle or silence her screams, for fear of disturbing his roommates. They wouldn't be limited to only his bed anymore...

The joy was too painful to let him imagine it for long.

She sobbed against his shoulder, her nails digging into his back, gasping in pleasured cries edged in something like desperation. This joy was too painful to endure for too long, but he managed it somehow, and she arched with a sharp cry when his thumb found her clit.

He kissed her again and God, the feel of her crying out against his lips, the feel of her clinging to him, encouraging him, wanting him, wanting this. Control was an illusion, in her embrace. As long as she wanted this, he was more than willing.

"Now," she begged him, gasping, her hips thrusting up to meet him as he descended, over and over. "Oh my God now, baby, _please_..."

They cried out together as they came, and he was entirely lost in her. There was nothing beyond the sensation of their joining and her warm damp skin and her breath against his collarbone, the sting of her nails against his back, the press of her sex as it tightened and relaxed against him.

He collapsed to her as it passed in slow inches, the dizzying height of their mutual orgasm. Slowly he was aware of his own body again, the heavy lethargy that always followed. He moved onto his side and she rolled with him, nestling against him, relaxing with a sigh.

He'd get up in a minute, find something to clean them up. But for now...

His palm slid along her bare leg, up to her ass, which he slowly caressed. "You said yes," he murmured, his voice full of wonder, disbelief, hope.

She giggled. "And so did you," she pointed out. "Everything... everything's about to change."

"Yeah," he agreed, his palm sliding up to her back.

She kissed him again, slow and sweet. "And there's no one else I'd rather have by my side for it," she whispered.

He smiled. "Forever, babe."

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally published elsewhere. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving feedback!


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